F.A.Q.

I find it somewhat easy to take any recipe and modify it to fit an anti-inflammatory protocol but that came with time, experimentation and just learning (and failing) as to how to substitute. It will get easier for you too! I hope I can help. If you have specific questions or need some help here, please shoot me an email!.

When it comes to eating out, I just try to find a meal or options that align with my diet as best as possible. For example, when we go to our neighborhood pub, I always get the salmon, rice and side veg or salad (I will opt for the salad if the veggie is a nightshade). Is the salmon wild caught? No. But at least it’s salmon. I find a lot of restaurants serve meats that are grass fed, free from antibiotics and hormones and other toxins. It’s just a matter of ordering the meat without the bread and sauces that tend to come with it. You can always order a salad and ask for olive oil and balsamic on the side. The point is, you CAN still go out and enjoy yourself. Also, don’t forget that you’re trying to avoid foods that can cause an inflammatory reaction – key words being “trying to avoid”. You just have to do your best. For example, my husband likes to follow a 90/10 rule; 90% of the time he follows the diet and the other 10% of the time he cheats. You should feel better knowing that 90% is pretty damn good!

When it comes to eating out, I think you just have to know your limits and set your own boundaries. I personally can eat out once every few weeks and “cheat” here and there (yes, I totally sneak in French fries!!) but then I get back on track the next day. Can I eat out multiple nights in a row? No. I mean, I CAN but I feel like crap. So, again, listen to your body and set your own boundaries.

With respect to travel, we always carry snacks/food from home when we are on the go because airport and airplane food is horrible and frustrating. Over time, I hope to provide snacks and tips that you can access on the blog. We also always rent homes with a kitchen so that we can do our own cooking. Hotels are manageable for a night or two (same as going out to restaurants), but that’s about all I can handle. So again, it’s about finding your own limits and setting boundaries.

I will, however, share my personal experience with supplements. I was very hesitant to take supplements at first because (a) I didn’t want to be taking 90 pills a day at different times with different meals (b) I was simply not educated enough on the research and science behind each type of supplement or whether or not I had a true deficiency of any particular vitamin or element (I mean, let’s be honest, pending what you read you can convince yourself that you need to take every single supplement and vitamin under the sun and spend/lose hundreds of dollars while you’re at it) and (c) I am one who immediately gets her back up when it comes to marketing and sales (keep in mind, my entire professional background is marketing). I am turned off by diet gurus, or naturopaths, who promote a certain type of diet or lifestyle and then it always comes down to “buy my supplements” if you want to see results. I saw a naturopath within months of my diagnosis and she quickly had a long list of supplements she instructed me to buy (that she just so happened to sell) without knowing or asking about my medical history, or even looking at my bloodwork.

But when I met with Dr. Gundry, who wouldn’t even meet with me without FIRST knowing my entire medical and family history, including reading ALL of my doctor dictations, ALL of my x-rays, and scans, and ALL of my bloodwork in advance of my appointment, I simply appreciated his opinion. When I looked at an exhaustive list of supplements, he very specifically ticked off the select supplements he felt were best suited for me (knowing I had specific deficiencies), with very specific doses and indications. He also could have told me to buy them off of his website but instead he told me to go to Costco.

So yes, I take supplements. But I take the ones that are best suited for me as recommended by a medical doctor based on my current clinical make-up.

• No grains (corn, wheat, oats, gluten, corn, quinoa, etc., EXCEPT white rice, if you must; also note that gluten is one kind of lectin, ‘gluten-free’ = full of lectins)
• No nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini or cucumber; note you can eat tomatoes and cucumber if they are de-skinned and de-seeded, and you can eat ANY nightshade if it is pressure-cooked)
• No dairy (unless it’s Southern European milk from France, Italy or Switzerland, or goat or sheep)
• No legumes (including chickpeas, beans, green beans, lentils, soybeans, etc.)
• No processed or refined starchy foods
• No coffee (disclaimer, I ignored this aspect of the diet simply because I have two children under 4 years old who wake up every single day at 530am. Maybe I’ll cut out coffee one day…just not yet)
• Red wine only (again, full disclaimer, I drink a wider range of alcohol including gin, cider and white wine, see comment above re: two kids under the age of 4; that said, when I hit a rough patch or I am not feeling well, the first thing to go from my diet is alcohol)
• No cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds
• No soy
• No vegetable, corn, peanut, safflower, sunflower, Canola, or grapeseed oils
• No grain fed meat
• No caged-raised chicken pumped full of antibiotics and hormones
• No farmed fish

Here is a link that details ALL the YES and NO foods specifically.

I’m sure you’re likely thinking after reading that list, “WTF can one eat then?” Am I right? LOL! That’s the pleasant surprise in all of this. We have never enjoyed food more and the recipes are endless.

I also buy a lot of Simple Mills products (for breads, crackers, cupcakes and pizza crusts) online (can’t find them in Canada). So I either try to find them on sale on their own website , on Amazon or I have found Lucky Vitamin to be a great site for Simple Mills and other healthy food products as well.

In all honestly, most grocery stores are getting on board and are starting to offer more organic and naturally sourced products. I also find that almost every city seems to have an organic grocery store of sorts. I’m in Tofino, BC, as I’m writing this and even this tiny little town has its own organic market. It’s just a matter of spending a little more time looking around, Googling, making phone calls, asking around and reading labels.

Probably the biggest challenge was finding grass-fed, organic meats as well as true pasture raised, organic chickens and eggs. I found myself calling grocery stores, talking to butchers and I even found a few local farms that met the criteria. If you’re in Calgary, Primrose Farms was a great find – you can find them on Facebook and send them a DM – and so much cheaper than buying from the butcher shop. That said, I have been pleasantly surprised over the past year at just how many grocery stores and even restaurants for that matter, have been clearly listening to customer demands and are now offering grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free, organic meat products, or true free run, organic chickens and eggs.

With so many businesses and people getting on board, maybe this crazy diet isn’t so crazy after all?

I think before starting ANY anti-inflammatory diet that you should first determine if you need to. I encourage you to do your own research. It’s as simple as starting with Google (to read about anti-inflammatory diets that is, NOT to self-diagnose yourself; see your doctor if you have any health concerns) or reading Dr. Gundry’s book, for example.

The one thing I’d keep in mind is that an anti-inflammatory diet is NOT just for people who suffer from autoimmune issues. An anti-inflammatory diet is exactly what it says it is – it is designed to reduce inflammation in your body. Inflammation can be the result, or cause, of any NUMBER of issues, from bloating and discomfort, to pain, to headaches, to fatigue, to heart disease, to auto immune disease…the list goes on. So again, I would encourage you to do your own research to determine if reducing inflammation is something that makes sense for you.

Don’t be surprised if you find that your own medical doctor is a bit of a poo-poo’er when it comes to these types of diets. Some are definitely supportive but in my experience, a vast majority of GPs and Specialists aren’t overly keen to promote said diets to their patients as they would argue that there is just not enough research to support many of the beliefs (and truthfully, they are arguably right; the research is still vastly anecdotal, theoretical, basic science and/or correlative). On the flip side, don’t be surprised if you find functional doctors, or naturopaths, who are super keen on supporting an anti-inflammatory approach but then also want to sell you a bunch of supplements (see my opinion above re: supplements). So again, just do some research, see your doctor about any specific health concerns, and then do what is best for you. For me, while I’m still on meds for my Lupus, I decided to do this diet on my OWN volition simply because I wanted to feel like I had some control over my health. I wanted to put a piece of my health back in my own hands and not solely in the hands of my doctor and my meds, if that makes sense.

If you couldn’t be healthier and have no health concerns, then I would advise you to celebrate with a glass (or more!) of wine and use the recipes provided here only if they appeal to or inspire you. Or perhaps share them with friends or family who need them.